According to the Daily Mail, the Newcastle United retail store is closing its doors.
They report that all members of staff have been made redundant, as the potential new owners do not want to keep them.
The store is currently owned by Sports Direct, but this development likely means it will return to being controlled by the club.
And this could all reportedly be down to the Newcastle takeover saga that rumbles on and on and on.
Ashley preparing for his exit?
As we all know, the Newcastle takeover is at the arbitration stage.
Mike Ashley has taken legal action against the Premier League, and is still confident of selling the club to PCP Capital Partners.
According to the Chronicle, arbitration won’t be concluded before the end of the season.
But despite the lack of a result thus far, the report surrounding the club shop hints at Ashley’s confidence regarding a deal.
And the Daily Mail claim that the closure of the club shop is ‘one of the conditions of the Saudi deal’.
That is a strange decision, as making people redundant is hardly an endearing move before even getting the keys to the club.
Or perhaps part of the takeover is simply changing the shop from a mini Sports Direct to a store owned by the club.
Either way, it is horrible news for employees.
If a takeover is completed and the store re-opens, perhaps it would be a good idea for the new owners to offer those made redundant a chance to return.
This report may or may not hint at a positive move in the takeover saga, but we won’t know for sure until a deal is finalised or off for good.
Until then, the speculation will continue.
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